the nominating process within the party and some of the candidates it produces. host: richard norton smith from george mason university, an author and presidential historian. tonight at 8:00, your chance to see the election results as they watch and engage starting at 8: 00, not on the results of the presidential election but the senate, house, and governor's race. victory and concession speeches as well. and your reactions as you watch tonight and fold. watch it on c-span starting at 8:00, and you can tune into c- span radio and you can monitor on our website. and by the way, c-span.org is the place where you can look at interactive maps, ballot initiatives, and the other feature is as we go through the night especially the house and senate side and it does come in,

you can see how the balance of power ways out interactively. all of that as part of our election hub. go to c-span.org for that information. again, our election night coverage part of the campaign 2012 starting at 8:00 tonight, c-span.org. we are about to go to the house of representatives where they are in a pro forma session today. tune in tonight and back on this program "washington journal." not only will you hear complete results but we will hear your viewer reaction via tweets and through phone calls. we thank you for joining us today. here is the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker.

the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. november 6, 2012. i hereby appoint the honorable steven c. latourette to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer today will be offered by our guest chaplain, the reverend dr. kirk erhardt, washington, d.c. the chaplain: let us pray. god who exists within each one of us and binds us together as one people, be with us on this election day as we exercise our responsibility to choose our leaders and set a trajectory into the future. let us be mindful and respectful of the views of those who vote for someone else. open our minds to realize that although we are a nation filled with diverse philosophies, our

common motive is to make this country a fruitful and peace filled nation allowing all people the opportunity to pursue dreams. help us to see our victories and defeats in the voting booth as a blessing of freedom and not a judgment on ideals. help us be mindful of our unity and bless this country and all nations and peoples now and forever. we ask this in your holy name. amen. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-a of house resolution 788, the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. the chair will now lead the house in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. pursuant to section 3-b of house resolution 788, the house

will stand adjourned until 1:00 p.m. on friday, november 9, >> house will come back for one more session friday and then the 112th congress returned a week from today for a lame duck session, the final session. live coverage of course here on c-span when they returned. well, it is tuesday, november 6, election day and c-span cameras today are covering some of the voting going on in northern virginia. this is a polling place in fairfax, virginia.

>> langley high school in northern virginia, fairfax county, virginia. every house member up for reelection, one-third of the senate and of course the presidential race. the presidential candidates and

vice president of candidates have all voted, pennsylvania ryan voting in wisconsin a short while ago. and joe biden, too. the president in chicago today, he boasted 12 days ago, becoming the first president to early vote. but the romney campaign has a couple of late adds on the schedule -- cleveland and pittsburgh, and paul ryan stopping in cleveland as well and he will also be in richmond, virginia bank. looking at polling places across the washington area. we also talked to some political reporters for the last minute takes on how the election may go. >> everybody these days is talking about ohio. it seems like we always talk about ohio when a presidential race comes along. more and more it looks like this is mitt romney's be all and all. if he does not win it, the of the coral college math is very difficult.

he would have to run the table and all the other swing states. if he does when it, he is pretty much on equal ground with president obama going into the other states. this is a state that will have the results coming in on the early side on election day. depending upon how close it is we should have an idea about who is going to win that state. and i think whoever wins the state will be the odds on favorite to win the presidency. i think one interesting thing about the election night is a lot of the biggest swing states will be the first states that cone in -- virginia, florida, ohio, they have the most of the perot vote. north carolina is in the next although most people expected to go for romney. we will have a good idea which direction things are headed, but if things get close, we will be talking at the end of the night about colorado, iowa, some of the states in the west like nevada, perhaps. i think we will have a pretty good idea about what is

happening early in the night and from there we will see whether the western states actually matter or not. >> i think that va is a very telling state. we focus on va a lot because it is right next door to washington, d.c. but the demographics are very similar to the rest of america. heavily democratic an urban area, nerve -- northern virginia, a very conservative, rural, southern virginia. the race and the demographics is similar to the country at large. the growing hispanic population. also a significant african- american population. if you want to look at a state that is very much epitomizes what the rest of the country is like, i think you look at a state like virginia which right now is pulling very close. if people want a good idea about which way things are headed, i think they should look at the results in virginia. >> any surprises? >> in the presidential race or

anything? i think people need to keep an eye on pennsylvania right now. i have been as skeptical as anybody for a long time that republicans would that republicansthere -- would actually compete there. they put resources in that state the final week or two. it is also a situation, the state is dealing with some of the after effects of hurricane sandy and it has disproportionately affected the philadelphia area, which is what democrats need to turn out to do well on election day. pennsylvania is not that far afield for republicans right now and if somehow they were able to win that state, you would be talking about president mitt romney. that is my one big surprise. i also think you should look at the senate race in the state because bob casey has been looking a little bit weaker than expected. tom smith is a businessman, former democrat running for the seat, who has been pulling within a few points in recent

weeks. so, on the senate front that is the upset special we are looking at right now. >> tonight, watch election coverage on c-span with president obama from his headquarters in chicago and mitt romney from his headquarters -- plus key senate and house of victory and concession speeches from across the country. and throughout the night, your reaction by phone, e-mail, facebook and twitter. live coverage starts at 8:00 eastern on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org where you can also access interactive maps. find updates on the balance of power in congress and track state ballot initiatives. >> on this election day, a tweet from the justice department. the doj will be monitoring polling places in 23 states. we will keep you posted on other election day news. president obama, meanwhile, held his final campaign rally last night in des moines, iowa, and

he was joined by the first lady who was campaigning separately and bruce springsteen also with the president. the president is now today in his hometown chicago where he holds his election night event. ♪ >> my goodness. >> thank you, guys. thanks so much. my goodness. and i love you. i love you from the bottom of my heart. and i am beyond thrilled to be

here with all of you. but we have to give some love up for bruce springsteen. i mean, gosh. for months, i have heard his songs played at our rallies. but i have to say, there's nothing like seeing the boss in person. nothing like it. he has just been tremendous. he and his family and his team, they've just been amazing. so we want to thank bruce for everything that he's done for us. and more than anything else, i want to thank you all for being here tonight. i mean, as you know this is a pretty emotional time for us, because this is the final event of my husband's final campaign. so this is the last time that he and i will be onstage together at a campaign rally.

comehat's why we wanted to here to iowa tonight -- [applause] because truly this is where it all began, right here. and i have so many fond memories of this state -- the house parties in sioux city and cedar rapids -- celebrating malia's birthday in pella -- and seeing my husband's face carved in butter. believe me, we still talk about that at christmas. but i will never forget the kindness and warmth and love that you all showed me and my family, especially our girls. that is truly what made the difference back in those early days when i wasn't so sure

about this whole process -- back when i was still wondering what it would mean for our girls and our family if barack got the chance to serve as president. but the truth is while i had my worries and my fears, i also realized that this decision affected not only me as a wife and a mother, but as a voter, as an american. and i started envisioning the kind of person that i wanted to lead our country. and i knew that i wanted a president with a steady character, with deep compassion and strong convictions. i wanted a president who was smart. i wanted someone we could trust -- someone who would always, always tell us the truth even when it's hard.

and i wanted a president driven not by politics or which way the wind is blowing, but by the struggles, hopes and dreams of all americans. and the more i thought about it, the more i knew in my heart that i was describing barack. i knew he could be that president. and for four years, that's exactly what he's done. he has stayed true to himself, and with your help, he's worked day after day to make this country better, to move it forward. he's rescued our economy from the brink of collapse and saved the auto industry. he's passed historic health reform -- ended the war in iraq.

he's fought so women get equal pay and students can afford college. he's fought for our seniors, so that they can retire with dignity --, and our veterans, so that they can give the benefits they earned and the respect they deserve. for four years, barack has been fighting to give every single one of us a fair shot at that great american dream, no matter what we look like or where we come from or who we love. and for four years, we have all seen what i've seen for the past 23 years. we've seen a man of honor and integrity who knows what he believes and stays true to his values.

i'm so proud of my husband. we have seen an honest man who knows the facts and always gives it to us straight. we've seen a man whose strength and resolve to build a better tomorrow has never wavered, never. and that's why i am so thrilled to be here in iowa tonight -- because long before most people even knew his name, you all saw what i saw. so you did all this crazy stuff. you showed up at campaign offices here in des moines and offices all over the state. more importantly, you opened your homes. you held caucus trainings. you marched with us at the jefferson-jackson dinner. and then, on a cold january night, you stood up for barack, because you knew that he would

stand up for you. and over these past four years, our family has been truly blessed -- truly blessed -- by all of the love and support and prayers that we have received from every corner of this country. and barack has been truly blessed to have all of you by his side as we have worked together to bring that change we can believe in. it is an honor and a privilege to serve this nation -- just know that. and tomorrow, we get the chance to finish what we started here in iowa. tomorrow, all across this state, all across this country, we will line up and vote in libraries and community centers, in school gyms. we're going to knock on doors

until our fingers are numb. we're going to make calls until our voices are hoarse. and we won't stop until every voice and every last vote is counted. and we will do it. we will do it, because while we have come so far, we know that there is so much more to do. and what we really, truly know is that we cannot turn back now. we need to keep moving this country forward. so that means that we need to reelect the man who has been fighting for us every single day -- my husband, the love of my life -- the president of the united states barack obama. [applause] [cheers and applause]

♪ ♪

>> hello, iowa! tomorrow. tomorrow, iowa. tomorrow, from the granite of new hampshire to the rockies of colorado, from the coastlines of florida to virginia's rolling hills, from the valleys of ohio to these iowa fields -- we will keep america moving forward.

i've come back to iowa one more time to ask for your vote. i came back to ask you to help us finish what we've started. because this is where our movement for change began. right here. right here. right behind these bleachers is the building that was home to our iowa headquarters in 2008. i was just inside, and it brought back a whole lot of memories. this was where some of the first young people who joined our campaign set up shop, willing to work for little pay and less sleep because they believed that people who love their country can change it. this was where so many of you who shared that belief came to help.

when the heat didn't work for the first week or so -- some of you brought hats and gloves for the staff. these poor kids, they weren't prepared. when the walls inside were bare, one of you painted a mural to lift everybody's spirits. when we had a steak fry to march to, when we had a j-j dinner to fire up -- you brought your neighbors and you made homemade signs. when we had calls to make, teachers and nurses showed up after work, already bone-tired, but staying anyway, late into the night. and you welcomed me and michelle into your homes. and you picked us up when we needed a lift. and your faces gave me new hope for this country's future, and your stories filled me with resolve to fight for you every

single day i set foot in the oval office. you inspired us. and i want to take this opportunity to say one thing to all the young people and not- so-young people who've given so much to this campaign over the years -- those of you who haven't done this just for me, but for each other -- for a laid-off family member, for a sick child, for a fallen friend -- to all of you who've lived and breathed the hard work of change: i want to thank you. you took this campaign and you made it your own. and you organized yourselves, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, county by county, starting a movement that spread across the country -- a movement made up of young and old, and rich and poor, and black and white, latino, asian, native american, gay, straight, democrats, republicans, who believe we've all got something to contribute -- that we all deserve a shot at our own american dream.

and when the cynics said we couldn't, you said "yes, we can." >> you said, "yes, we can" -- and we did. against all odds, we did. we didn't know what challenges would come when we began this journey. we didn't know how deep the crisis would turn out. but we knew we would get through those challenges the same way this nation always has -- with that determined, unconquerable american spirit that says no matter how bad the storm gets, no matter how tough times are, we're all in this together. we rise or fall as one nation and as one people. that's the spirit that's carried us through the trials

and tribulations of the last four years. in 2008, we were in the middle of two wars and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. and today, our businesses have created nearly five and a half million new jobs. the american auto industry is back. home values are on the rise. we're less dependent on foreign oil than any time in the last 20 years. we've doubled the production of clean energy. because of the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in iraq is over. the war in afghanistan is ending. al qaeda is on the run. osama bin laden is dead. we've made real progress these past four years. but, iowa, we're here tonight because we've got more work to do. we're not done yet on this journey.

we've got more road to travel. as long as there's a single american who wants a job but can't find one -- as long as there are families working harder but still falling behind -- as long as there's a child anywhere in des moines, anywhere in iowa, anywhere in this country languishing in poverty, barred from opportunity -- our work isn't done. our fight for change goes on. because we know this nation cannot succeed without a growing, thriving middle class and sturdy ladders for everybody who is willing to work to get into that middle class. our fight goes on because america has always done best when everybody has got a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody plays by the same rules. the people of iowa understand that. that's what we believe. that's why you elected me in 2008. and, iowa, that's why i'm running for a second term as

president of the united states. now, the choice you make tomorrow -- and you understand this -- iowans, you guys pay attention -- the choice you make is not just between two candidates or parties. it's a choice between two different visions of america -- who we are -- what we believe -- what we care about. it's a choice between going back to the top-down policies that caused the mess we've been fighting our way out of for four years -- or moving forward to a future that's built on a strong and growing middle class. and, iowa, you know me as well as anybody. you've seen a lot of me these last six years.

and you know what, you may not agree with every decision i've made -- michelle doesn't. there may be times where you've been frustrated at the pace of change. i promise you, so have i. but i tell you what, you know what i believe. you know where i stand. you know i tell the truth. you know i'll fight for you and your families every single day, as hard as i know how. and that's why, when we talk about change, we know what real change looks like because we've fought for it. we've got the scars to prove it. i've got the gray hair to show it. i wasn't this gray when i first showed up in iowa. and sometimes it's been hard. sometimes it's been frustrating. we understand that.

but what we also know is that when we decide to make a difference, when americans come together, determined to bring about change, nobody can stop us. we cannot be stopped. and after all we've been through together, after all that we fought through together, we cannot give up on change now. we know what real change looks like. change is a country where every american has a shot at a great education -- where we recruit new teachers, train new workers, bring down tuition, so that no one in this country is forced to give up the dream of a college education. change comes when we live up to this country's legacy of innovation by investing in the next generation of technology and manufacturing. instead of subsidizing oil

company profits, i want to support energy jobs of tomorrow. and iowa knows about clean energy and biodiesel and wind turbines that will free this country from the grip of foreign oil. i don't want a tax code that rewards companies for creating jobs overseas -- i want to reward companies that create jobs right here in america. that's what change is, iowa. change is turning the page on a decade of war so we can do some nation-building here at home -- repairing our roads and our bridges, making our schools state of the art -- putting our veterans back to work -- because nobody who fights for this country's freedom should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their heads when they come home. that's what we're fighting for. that's why we're not done. change is a future where we reduce our deficit by asking the wealthiest americans to go

back to the tax rates they paid when bill clinton was in office. we'll cut out spending we don't need. but as long as i'm president, we're not going to turn medicare into a voucher just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut. we're not going to kick a kid off of head start just to pay for a millionaire's tax cut. because our budget reflects our priorities and our values. and we know what our future requires. we know what real change is. you helped teach me that, here in iowa. and what we also know is that change isn't easy. remember, a lot of you showed up to town hall meetings back in 2007, 2008, and i used to talk about change. but i also said i'm not just talking about changing presidents.

i'm not just talking about changing parties. i'm talking about changing our politics. i told you i ran because your voices had been shut out of our democracy for way too long by special interests and politicians who will do whatever it takes to keep things just the way they are. and we've seen over the last four years, the status quo in washington, they are powerful and they have fought us every step of the way. when we tried -- and succeeded in reforming our health care system, they spent millions trying to stop us. when we tried -- and succeeded -- in reforming wall street, they spent millions to push us back. and we kept on going. but those were tough fights. and what the protectors of the status quo in washington are counting on now is that you'll get worn down by all the squabbling. you'll get fed up with the

dysfunction. you'll give up on the change we've fought for. you'll walk away and leave them to make decisions that affect every american. in other words, their bet is on cynicism. but, iowa, you taught me to bet on you. you taught me to bet on hope. i'll work with anybody, of any party, to move this country forward. and if you want to break the gridlock in congress, you'll vote for leaders who feel the same way -- whether they're democrats, or republicans, or independents -- the kind of iowa leaders you've always had -- tom and christie vilsack, and tom harkin, and leonard boswell and bruce braley, and my great friends, tom miller and mike fitzgerald. but there's some principles you got to fight for. there are times where you've

got to take a stand. if the price of peace in washington is cutting deals to kick students off of financial aid, or get rid of funding for planned parenthood, or let insurance companies discriminate against kids with preexisting conditions, or eliminate health care for millions on medicaid who are poor, or elderly, or disabled -- i won't pay that price. that's not a deal i will make. that's not bipartisanship. that's not change. that's surrender to the same forces of the status quo that has squeezed middle-class families for way too long. and, iowa, i'm not ready to give up on the fight. i've got a lot more fight left in me. but to wage that fight on behalf of american families, i need you to still have some

fight in you, too. the folks at the top in this country, it turns out they don't need another champion in washington. they'll always have a seat at the table. they'll always have access and influence. the people who need a champion are the americans whose letters i read late at night after a long day in the office -- the men and women i meet on the campaign trail every day. the laid-off furniture worker who's retraining at the age of 55 for a new career at a community college -- she needs a champion. the restaurant owner who needs a loan to expand -- he's got great food but the bank turned him down -- he needs help. he needs a champion. the cooks and the waiters and cleaning staff, working overtime in a hotel in des moines or vegas, trying to save enough to buy a first home or

send their kid to college -- they need a champion. the autoworker who was laid off, thought the plant would never reopen, and is now back on the job, filled with pride and dignity, building a great car, building america -- he needs a champion. the teacher in an overcrowded classroom with outdated schoolbooks, digging into her own pocket to buy school supplies, not always feeling like she's got the support she needs, but showing up every day because she knows that this might be the day that she's got a breakthrough and she makes a difference in one child's life -- she needs a champion. all those kids in inner cities, small farm towns -- kids dreaming of becoming scientists

or doctors, engineers or entrepreneurs, diplomats or even a president -- they need a champion in washington, because the future will never have as many lobbyists as the status quo -- children don't have lobbyists the way oil companies or banks do. but it's the dreams of those children that will be our saving grace. that's what we fight for. that's why i need you, iowa. to make sure their voices are heard. to make sure your voices are heard. and that's why we've come too far to turn back now. we've come too far to let our hearts grow faint. now is the time to keep pushing forward -- to educate all our kids, and train all our workers, and to create new jobs, and rebuild our roads, and bring back our troops, and care for our veterans, and broaden opportunity, and grow our middle class, and restore our democracy -- and make sure that no matter who you are, or where you come from, or how you started out, what you look like,

who you love, what your last name is, here in america, you can make it if you try. that's what we're fighting for. and, iowa, after all the months of campaigning, after all the rallies, after the millions of dollars of ads, it all comes down to you. it's out of my hands now. it's in yours. all of it depends on what you do when you step into that voting booth tomorrow. it's just a remarkable thing, the way our democracy works. and at a certain point, all this effort and all these campaign rallies -- and then it

just comes down to each of us, as citizens. all of it depends on you bringing your friend, or your neighbor, your coworker, your mom, your dad, your wife, your husband to the polls. that's how our democracy is supposed to be. the single most powerful force in our democracy is you. moving this country forward begins with you. don't ever let anybody tell you your voice doesn't matter. don't let anybody tell you your voice can't make a difference. it makes a difference. i got a powerful reminder of this myself on our last campaign. folks in iowa, i know you may have heard this story but it was early in the primaries, and we were still way down in the polls. i think this office had just finally gotten the heat turned on. and at the time, i was still

competing in south carolina -- it was one of the early primary states. and i really wanted the endorsement of a state representative down there. i met her at some function where nobody knew me, nobody could pronounce my name. they're wondering, what's he thinking? so i asked her for her endorsement. and she said, "i tell you what, obama -- i will give you my endorsement if you come to my hometown of greenwood, south carolina." and i think i had a little bit of wine during dinner, because right away i said "okay." so it's about a month later, and i'm traveling back to south carolina. and we flew in late -- i think we were coming from iowa. we had been campaigning non- stop, traveling all through towns and having town hall meetings and shaking hands. and in between, i'm making phone calls, asking people for support. and so we land in greenwood, south carolina, at around midnight. we get to the hotel about 1 o'clock in the morning. i am wiped out. i'm exhausted.

and i'm dragging my bags to my room. back then we didn't fly on air force one. and the accommodations were a little different. and just as i'm about to walk into the room, one of my staf taps me on the shoulder to say, "excuse me, senator" --i was a senator back then. up're going to have to wake and be on the road at 6:30 a.m. in the morning." and i said, "what?" "why?" "well, you made this promise to go to greenwood, and it's several hours away." and you know, iowa, i try to keep my promises. so a few hours later, i wake up -- and i'm feeling terrible. i think a cold is coming on. and i open up the curtains to try to get some light to wake me up, but it's pouring down rain. terrible storm. and i take a shower and get some coffee, and i open up the newspaper and there's a bad story about me in the new york

times. i was much more sensitive at that time to bad stories. i've become more accustomed to these now. and finally i get dressed, i go downstairs and i'm walking out to the car, and my umbrella blows open -- and i'm soaked. so by the time i'm in the car i'm wet and i'm mad and i'm still kind of sleepy. and it turns out that greenwood is several hours away from everyplace else. and so we drive, and we drive, and we drive, and we drive. and finally we get to greenwood -- although you don't know you're in greenwood right away because there are not a lot of tall buildings around. and we pull up to a small field house, and i walked in, and i'm looking around. i don't hear a lot going on. and the state representative said she was going to organize a little meeting for us, and we walked in and there are about 20 people there.

wet,hey're all kind of too, and they don't look very excited to see me. president,ning for so i do what i'm supposed to do -- and i'm shaking hands, i say, "how do you do? nice to meet you." and i'm making my way around the room, and suddenly i hear this voice cry out behind me: "fired up." and i'm startled, and i don't know what's going on. but everybody in the room -- this is a small room -- they act like this is normal. and when the voice says, "fired up," they all say, "ready to go." and so once again, i hear the voice: "fired up." they say, "fired up." they say, "ready to go!" "ready to go!" i look around, i turned behind me -- there's this small woman. she's about 60 years old -- looks like she just came from church -- she got a big church hat. and she's looking at me, kind of peering at me, and she's grinning, smiling, looking happy. turns out she's a city councilwoman from greenwood -- who also moonlights as a

private detective. i'm not making this up. this is true. and it turns out she's famous throughout the area. when she goes to football games and when she goes to rallies and she goes to community events, she does this chant of hers. she does it wherever she goes. so for the next few minutes, she just keeps on saying "fired up." and everybody says "fired up," and she says she's "ready to go," and everybody else says "ready to go." and i'm thinking, this woman is showing me up. this is my meeting. i'm running for president. and she's dominating the room. and i look at my staff, and they just shrug their shoulders. they don't know what to do. so this goes on for a few minutes. now, here's the thing, iowa. after a few minutes, i'm feeling kind of fired up.

i'm feeling like i'm ready to go. so i start joining in the chant, and my staff starts joining in the chant. and somehow i feel pretty good. and we go on to talk about the lives of the people in the room, and their families and their struggles and their hopes for their kids and their grandkids. and we drive out and it's still raining, but it doesn't seem so bad. and we go to our next stop, and for the rest of the day, even after we left greenwood, even though we still weren't getting any big crowds anyplace, even though people still couldn't pronounce my name, i felt good. i'di'd see my staff, and say, "are you fired up?" they'd say, "we're fired up." i'd say, "are you ready to go?" and they'd say, "we're ready to go." and we brought that to iowa. and during our rallies, this became a chant, and we'd have signs saying "fired up, ready to go."

and the woman, her name was edith childs -- she became a celebrity, and she was written up in the wall street journal -- and folks did news stories on her. and this became one of the anthems of our campaign back in 2008. now, here's the end of the story, though. we knew we were coming back to des moines for the last campaign rally i'll ever do for me. and so we were getting kind of sentimental. and we called up edith childs. and we said, why don't you come on up? no, no, listen to this. we said, why don't you come on up -- we'll fly you up from south carolina and you can do this chant one more time, just for old good-time sake. it's like getting the band back

together again. and you know what edith said? she said, i'd love to see you, but i think we can still win north carolina, so i'm taking a crew into north carolina to knock on doors on election day -- i don't have time just to be talking about it. i've got to knock on some doors. i've got to turn out the vote. i'm still fired up, but i've got work to do. and that shows you what one voice can do. one voice can change a room. and if it can change a room, it can change a city. and if it can change a city, it can change a state. and if it can change a state, it can change a nation.

and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. and, iowa, in 2008, your voice changed the world. and edith childs asked me to ask you that if you're willing to still stand with me tomorrow, if you're willing to get your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers to the polls tomorrow, if you're willing to make sure we finish what we started, she's pretty sure we'll win iowa. she's pretty sure we'll win this election. and she just had one question for you, and that is: are you fired up? are you fired up? are you fired up? iowa, tomorrow let's remind the world just why it is the united

states of america is the greatest nation on earth. i love you. let's go vote. let's keep moving forward. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. ♪ ♪ ["signed sealed delivered"] ♪

[crowd chanting "four more years"]

[applause] playing]ur thing" >> president obama's final campaign event last night in des moines, iowa guest: he i in chicag today. the president started his day convening a call with homeland security secretary janet napolitano, hearing about an update on fema. reporters covering the president tweeting about that. zeke miller saying that he

convened a briefing on the sandy response this morning. mark miller of cbs tweeted ."mments -- "let's get busy tweets for reporters covering the president. and again, he got an update on hurricane sandy. the turnout is heavy in new york and new jersey despite the storm on the follow-up to the storm. our c-span cameras on election day are covering the response in northern virginia. high school in mclean, virginia.

a look at the line at the polling place in langley high school. a tweet -- "yeah, voting is a pain, but for a lot of people,

standing in that line is a dream unfulfilled." >> the big things that people have been talking about in this election cycle, the influence of outside money on the race, and the three senate races where there's this huge influx of outside money, ohio, florida, and virginia, which are big battlegrounds. the democratic candidates who are getting the brunt of the outside spending are sort of expected to win in all of those races at this point. virginia is the closest, probably. ohio, some polls have showed closer, but the interesting thing will be watching those races, and, you know, if all those democrats win, what does that mean for the outside cash?

is there a point were you on not making a difference anymore? is it not having the impact that they think they are paying for on the races? >> are there any other races do you think particularly interesting gone into the election? >> the closest race is probably the wisconsin senate race. difficult to call right now. obviously, another presidential battleground. tammy baldwin democrat,, and tommy thompson, the republican, have gone back and forth in the polls. one shows baldwin up a few points, but it has been a yo- yo-y sort of race. and nobody knows now if obama or

romney is going to win in wisconsin. over in montana, senator jon tester, the democrat, running against the republican congress sman, and that is a state where mitt romney is expected to win easily. but the senate race has been extremely tight for over a year at this point. it is another want our people -- another one that is a good one to watch is nevada. another potential battleground state. at this point, most people think obama has doubled of an engine there, the republican, -- has a little bit of an edge there, but the republican, dean heller, will likely run ahead of mitt romney in the state.

ticket-splitters could make a difference in the senate race, and that has been an incredibly close senate race as well. >> is there anything that would surprise you? >> all the people thought that republicans would gain control of the senate's -- although people thought the republicans would gain control of the senate for a very long time in this cycle, at this point republicans picking up the four is seats they need to gain senate control would release a price me to get things working against them. obviously, they're acting flawed candidates -- tdd -- there have been flawed candidates -- todd akin in missouri, richard mourdock in indiana. ms. larelle looks more like a democratic pickup -- missouri looks more like a democratic

pickup. it looks likely that the democrats will hold the senate at this point. >> tonight, watch the election results. we will have coverage of president obama in chicago, mitt romney in boston. and as always, your reaction by phone tonight. our coverage begins at 8:00 eastern on c-span, c-span radio, and also on c-span.org, we will have live streams brought the man from the obama and romney headquarters, live -- live streams throughout the night from the obama and romney headquarters. if you are tweeting, our hashtag is #cspan2012. mitt romney has landed in

cleveland. he met with his supporters last night at the verizon wireless arena in manchester. he voted this morning in massachusetts. two rallies today before returning to boston. this is from last night. ♪

[cheers and applause]

>> thank you so very much. thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you. [cheers and applause]

[crowd chanting, "usa, usa, usa"] >> now that, that is quite a welcome. thanks. let me, first of all -- [cheers and applause]

thank you. thank you. thank you to kid rock. that was fabulous. and let me introduce you to the next first lady of the united states, ann romney. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, new hampshire. and i have to say thank you to kid rock. let me tell you, we are kids of detroit, kid rock and i are. that has been our theme song.

it has been a long journey. it started in new hampshire 1.5 years ago. our hearts are full, and what we have learned by going on the trail is that we have seen the america that you all love, that we all love. we fear it is in danger, that it is slipping away from us. i love this country. i never loved hearing the voices -- i love the people i have seen, buit more than anything, i have loved hearing the voices of the women i have heard all across the nation. [cheers and applause and i have to tell you, hope is on the way, and it starts tomorrow. [cheers and applause]

so let me introduce to you the next president of the united states. [cheers and applause] >> now, because we are among family tonight, i wanted to introduce you to at least one of our sons. he is one you do not see much. he is a doctor. he has been out campaigning. ben romney. [cheers and applause] now that -- [cheers and applause] that is quite a welcome. thank you so much. this is a special moment for

ann and me. this is where our campaign started. we got started over one year ago. and then your primary vote put me on the path to win the republican nomination. [cheers and applause] and tomorrow, your votes and your work right here in new hampshire will help me to become the next president of the united states. [cheers and applause] now, look. i want to thank you for the work that so many of you have done, making calls from our victory centers, putting a sign in your yard, for some, putting a sign in your neighbor's yard, and --

[laughter] convincing a friend or a co- worker or two to vote for paul ryan and me, and, of course, what makes this rally and all of your work so inspiring is that you are you're not just because of one person or because of the party, you are here because of america. [cheers and applause] now, this is a campaign about america, and it is about the future america that we are going to leave to our children. we thank you, and we ask you to stay in it all of the way until victory tomorrow night. [cheers and applause] tomorrow, we begin a new tomorrow. some of your friends and family have not made of their minds and to vote for, i would like you to make sure you talk to them,

and ask them to look beyond the speeches and the attacks and all of the ads and to look to the record, because talk is cheap, but a record is real, and it is earned by effort. change was promised by the president, but change is not measured by that, it is measured by achievement. four years ago, candidate obama promised much, but he has fallen so very short. he promised a post-partisan presidency, but he became most partisan, blaming and attacking. and it was not just republicans he refused to listen to. he also did not listen to independent voices. he was going to focus on jobs. instead, he focused on obamacare, which killed jobs, and he said he was going to cut

the deficit in half. instead, he doubled it. instead, he said unemployment would be at 5.2%, and he is at 7.9%, and, by the way, if that is the number we should have had, unemployment today is higher than it was when the president was elected. he promised that he would propose a plan that would save social security and medicare. he did not. instead, he raided medicare to pay for obamacare. $16 million. -- $716 billion. he said he would lower health- insurance premiums for the average family in america by $2,500 per year. anybody here have their premiums go down by $2500 a

year? no, they are now actually higher by $3,000 per year, and gasoline, the average american family pays $2,000 more for gasoline than when president obama was elected. he said he would work across party lines, and he has not met on the economy or on the budget or on jobs with either a republican leader of the house or senate since july, so instead of bridging the divide, and he has made it wider. maybe you in new hampshire look at the challenges we face as a nation, not first as a republican or a democrat, but as an american. you have watched what has happened over the last four years with an independent view. you hoped that president obama would live up to his promise to bring america together. he has not. i will. [cheers and applause]

let me tell you what he fell so short of what he promised. that is because he cared more about the political agenda that he did about the economy. did obama create new jobs? did his war on coal and gas and oil create new jobs? >> no! >>did those regulations help banks make more loans? does raising taxes for people to work? did his avalanche of new regulations help small-business? >> no! >> well, you passed the test. [cheers and applause] now, look.

almost every measure he took hurt the economy, and it hurt our fellow americans. 23 million americans are struggling to find a good job. one out of six of us is poorer, and the middle class is being squeezed as take a pay has gone down by $4,300 per year, and the cost of everything from health insurance to food to utilities has gone up. this weekend, i spoke with the wife of a 60-year-old man, and the prime of his life, i might add. [cheers and applause] and he has worked as a welder for 40 years, but he just got laid off. his wife asked what i could do to help them. she made it very clear. he does not want a government check. he wants a job.

[cheers and applause] and so, the question of this election comes down to this. do you want four more years like the last four years? >> no! >> do you want real change? >> yes. >> president obama promised change, but he could not deliver it. i not only promised change, i have a record of achieving it. i build a business. i turned around another one. i helped put the olympics back on track. and with a democratic legislature, i helped to turn my state from deficit to surplus, and we went from higher taxes to higher take-home pay,

and that is why i am running for president, because i know how to change the course the nation is on. [cheers and applause] you see, accomplishing real change is not just something i talk about. it is something i have done, and it is what i am going to do when i am president of the united states. [cheers and applause] well, if you, like me, believe we can do better, if you believe america should be on a better course, if you are tired of being tired, i asked you to work for real change and make that happen tomorrow. [cheers and applause]

paul ryan and i will bring real change to america from day one. when i am elected, i know the economy and american jobs will still be stagnant, but i will not waste any time complaining about my predecessor. [cheers and applause] from day one, from day one, i am going to go to work to help americans get back to work, and people across the country are responding to our five-part plan. part one, as you know, is taking advantage of our coal and our gas and our renewables. [cheers and applause] on day one, on day one, i am going to have to increase the number of leases and permits to

drill on federal land. [cheers and applause] and i will act to approve -- to speed the approval of the keystone pipeline. [cheers and applause] now, second, i am going to move to boost trade, because for a productive people, trade helps to create more jobs and rising incomes. and by the way, i am finally going to designate china as a currency manipulator. [cheers and applause] number three, i am going to send to congress a training format to make sure workers have the skills they need for a good job, and number four, i am in the mood to tackle out of control spending. i am going to send congress the first of central reforms. we are going to call this the

down payment on fiscal sanity act. [cheers and applause] and with it, we will immediately cut, not just slow the rate of growth, but cut federal spending. [cheers and applause] you see, i am just not going to take office on january 20. i am going to take responsibility for that office, as well. [cheers and applause] and no. 5, and number five, i am going to act to boost small business and all business. i am going to issue executive orders for the problems that are holding back this economy. number one, i am going to grant state waivers for obamacare to begin its repeal.

[cheers and applause] number two, we will launch a sweeping review of all obama- air regulations with an eye to repairing those that killed jobs, and for the first time, for the first time in four years, every entrepreneur, every small business person, every job creator will know that the president of the united states and the government likes them and likes the jobs they create. [cheers and applause] now, you know well that america's choice tomorrow is going to need to one of two very different outcomes. if the president is going to be reelected, he will still not be able to work with the people in congress because he has ignored

them, blame them, and attacked them. a default will be threatened, and that freezes the economy and herds jobs. the president was read the other day when he said he cannot change washington from the inside, only from the outside. let's give him that chance, ok? [cheers and applause] now, the way i am going to do it when i am elected, i will work with democrats and republicans in congress. i will meet regularly with their leaders. i will endeavor to find those good men and women on both sides of the aisle that care more about the country than they do about politics. [cheers and applause] now, if the president were elected, he will continue his war on coal and oil and natural

gas, but when i am elected, we will change course on energy, because to build jobs and help with prices at the pump, we need to achieve north american energy independence within eight years. [cheers and applause] now, if the present were reelected, he would continue to crush small business, and i mean this seriously. his plans crush small businesses. he is raising their taxes. he is forcing unions on companies where the employees do not want them. he wants to expand regulations, imposed obamacare. that will crush small business. i care about small business. i see small business as a way for people to fill their dreams. [cheers and applause]

last week, i met with rhonda in richmond, virginia. she has been running her family restaurants for years. the business has been in her family for 82 years. at its high point, she employed to wandered people. -- 200 people. she just closed it down. she told me obama-air regulations and taxes and obamacare and the condition of the economy just put her out of business, and then she teared up. this was not about money. it was about the future for our family and her employees. look. i want to help the hundreds of thousands of dreamers like rhoda, and i will. [cheers and applause] now, you know if the president is reelected, he will say that he will improve the schools,

but he will do what the largest supporters, the public-sector unions, will want. your kids will have the same schools and results. when i am president, i will be the voice of the children and their parents. there is no union. [cheers and applause] >> i would give parents the information they need to know if the school their child is going to is failing and also being able to send them to the school that will bring them success. [cheers and applause] when i am president, i will do what i did as governor. we took our schools to the no. 1 spot in the country, and we did that by working together, republicans and democrats, and

we did that by listening to parents and by putting the interests of our kids first. now, these last months of our campaign have seen the gathering of strength of the real movement across this country. the size of these crowds, like this tonight, my goodness. [cheers and applause] and i understand that there are a few thousand people outdoors that could not get in, too, so -- it is also the depth of our shared conviction. it has made me strive even more to be worthy of your support and to campaign as i would govern, to speak for the aspirations of all americans. you know, i learned as governor of massachusetts is that the best achievements are shared achievements. i have learned that respect and

good will go along way and are usually returned in kind. that is how i will conduct myself as president. i will bring us together. [cheers and applause] i will not just represent one party. i represent one nation. [cheers and applause] throughout this campaign, using every argument that he could think of, president obama has tried to convince you that these last four years have been a success. [boos] and so, his plan for the next four years is to take all of the ideas of the first four, and you is, the borrowing, obamacare, and just do them all over again.

>> fire obama! >> he calls his plan forward, and i call it forewarned. [cheers and applause] that same path means $20 trillion in debt at the end of four years. it means crippling unemployment continues. it means a stagnant take-home pay, depressed real estate values, and a depressed military. in his closing arguments just last week, president obama asked his supporters to vote for revenge. [boos] instead, i ask the american people to vote for love of country. [cheers and applause]

together, together, we must lead america to a better place. we are one day away from a fresh start and one day away from a new beginning. my conviction is that better days are ahead, and that is not based on promises and hollow rhetoric but on solid plans and proven results, and on an unshakable belief of the greatness of the american spirit. [cheers and applause]

if there is anyone worried that the last four years is the best we can do, if there is anyone who feels that the american dream is fading away, if there is anyone wonders that better jobs and better pay checks are a thing of the past, i have a clear and unequivocal message. america will come roaring back. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting, "mitt, mitt, mitt, mitt!"] the only thing that stands between us and some of the best

years we have never imagined is -- ever imagined is lack of leadership. tomorrow is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do. we can put the past four years behind us and start building a new future. use of the differences when president obama and i were side by side in our debates. he says it has to be this way. i say it cannot stay this way. [cheers and applause] he has offered excuses. i've got a plan. he is hoping we sell. -- settle. i cannot wait to get started. americans do not settle.

americans do not sell. we build. we listen to that voice inside that says we can do better. [cheers and applause] that better life is out there, waiting for us. our destiny is in your hands. tomorrow, we get to work rebuilding our country, restore our confidence and renewing our conviction, confidence of a solid path and steady improvement, confidence that college grads will find better jobs when they graduate -- [cheers and applause] confidence that single moms working two jobs will have a shot at a better job. [cheers and applause] tomorrow, on november 6, we come together for a better future, and november 7, we get to work. [cheers and applause]

we reach across the street. i need you to reach across the street to that neighbor with the other yard sign, and we will reach across the aisle in washington in good faith to the other party. this is much more because this is much more than our moment, it is america's moment. purpose and optimism. we have journeyed together far and wide in discreet campaign for america's future, and now, we are almost come. -- home. one final push, and we will get there. [cheers and applause] we have known many long days and short nights, and we are close. the door to our better future

is there an open and waiting for us. i need your vote. i need your help. walk with me. walk together. tomorrow. new hampshire, god bless you and god bless the united states of america. thank you, guys. let's win this one tomorrow. thank you. ♪ >> ♪ i was born free, born free ♪ ♪

♪ i was born free i was born free i was born free ♪

♪

♪ i was born free born free ♪ ♪ oh oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ >> mitt romney from yesterday. the associated press reports of long lines at polling places. none of the ballots will be

counted before tonight. that is from the associated press. some tweets from reporters covering romney. he is in cleveland and ohio today. zeke miller reporting that he was sitting on the airport tarmac as of 15 minutes ago waiting for paul ryan to arrive. joe biden has arrived in cleveland, a bit of his prized there. this the third time that romney has been in the same area as biden in the past few days. >> tonight, watch election coverage on c-span, with president obama from his headquarters in chicago and mitt romney from his headquarters in boston, plus key senate and house, a victory and concession speeches from around the country, and direction from

phone, email, facebook, and twitter. . span, c-span radio, and c- span.org, where you can look at interactive maps and track the balance of power in the house and senate. . >> next up, the vice-president george bush in his victory speech from 1988. the vice president and his running mate, indiana senator dan quayle, one the white house in what many analysts described as a landslide election. they defeated the ticket of massachusetts gov. michael dukakis and texas senator lloyd bentsen. >> thank you.

[cheers and applause] i have just received -- i have just received a telephone call from gov. dukakis. [cheers and applause] i want you to know, he was most gracious. his call was personal, it was genuinely friendly, and it was in the great tradition of american politics. [cheers and applause] we can now speak the most majestic words of democracy has to offer -- the people have spoken. [cheers and applause]

and with a full heart and great hopes, i thank all the people throughout america who have given us this great victory, and i thank ronald reagan. [cheers and applause] i thank him for turning our country around and for being my friend, and for going the extra mile. it was just like him. he is simply one of the most decent men i have ever met. [cheers and applause] i want to thank my friend, my running mate, dan quayle, and his family. [cheers and applause] and the they have shown great

strength under fire, campaigned incessantly. i am proud of him and proud of his family. [cheers and applause] i want to thank my great friend, houston's son, jim baker. [cheers and applause] and our campaign chairman lee atwater. the national staff, the rnc, all of our state chairmen and chairwomen and all of the organization's and the political clubs. i especially thank the young people who were always up at night putting up the signs. the people at those telephone banks and the ones to canvass

door-to-door. there is a large gathering of volunteers right now at the washington hilton. folks, my heart is with you. many, many thank you for all that you have done for our nation's capital. i want to talk about my family. the fact is i would be nothing without them. our four sons, our daughter and my own barbara bush. i guess i shouldn't say she is my down anymore. forcing she will be the first lady of all the united states. -- for soon she will be the first lady of all the united states.

and i thank god for the faith he has given me. as i grow older, i am more where that -- i am more aware of the spiritual element in life and i ask for god's help. and i thank the men and women of texas. the people here started with me in politics in 1962 and you never lost faith in me. you never left me. you are a source of my shrink. this is a moving night. you cannot help but be moved when your country endorses your hopes and your candidacy and the feelings are so personal that the decision is larger than that.

and now we will move again for an america that is strong and resolute in the world, strong and big hearted at home. and when i said i want a kinder, gentler nation, i meant it and i mean it. a campaign is a disagreement and disagreements divide. but an election is a decision and decisions clear the way for harmony and peace and i mean to be a president of all the people and i want to work for the hopes and interest not only of my supporters, but of the governors and of those who didn't vote at all. to those who supported me, i will try to be worthy of your trust. and to those who did not, i will try to learn it. and my hand is out to you and i

want to be your president, too. i think i know how gov. dukakis fields. i lost a few along the way myself and it hurts. but we both went into the arena and we thought long and hard. the governor can take great satisfaction in the fact that his valiant family did him proud. and now i know that we will come together as we always have, 200 years of harmony in the oldest, greatest democracy in mankind on earth. and i have traveled many miles,

reached for many hands. it has occurred to me and that what we were having, the people of america and i, is a conversation, a back and forth from a mutual dialogue, and it cannot go away, not now, not when i needed most. so i mean to keep the conversation going, to keep walking toward you, talking with you, and reaching for the hands. and another thing. i will do my level best to reach out and work constructively with the united states congress. and a final word of what you mean to me, my friends in this room. every time barbara and i come to texas, it is a homecoming. we were young here. we started out here 40 years ago, the summer of 1948.

we worked in the off fields and went into billet -- went into business and started politics. 40 years of caring and french. now i will take that love and friendship, all right here in this room, put it in my pocket and take it with me to washington, d.c., where it is sometimes called but always great. -- sometimes cold but always great. and god knows there is lots of work to do. so thank you, god bless you, and one other thing -- once, in days when it was a little darker, i made a promise. and now i will keep it. thank you, new hampshire. thank you. thank god bless america. thank you all very much. thank you. ♪

thank you all. thank you all. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> now here is gov. michael the cat is conceding the presidential race in 1988. he is speaking to a crowd of supporters and family from boston's financial district. his remarks for just under 15 minutes. >> thank you all very much, thank you. thank you all very very much.

tv and i and our family cannot begin to express -- kitty and i and our family cannot begin to express our gratitude to all of you around the country who have given so much to us and the american people in the last 18 months. just a few minutes ago, i called vicepresident bush and congratulated him on his victory. and i know i speak for all of you and for all the american people when i say that he will be our president and we will work with him. this nation faces major challenges ahead and we must work together. and i extended my best wishes to him and mrs. bush and to members of the bush family.

kitty and i -- we also had a chance to talk to lloyd and b.a. bentsen. and i know we express your feelings when i say that he and she were superb running mates. they're wonderful friends. i am so proud of that choice, so proud of both of them. we have formed a friendship that will last as long as we live on

this planet. they are two wonderful people. and lloyd bentsen has one of bit -- has been one of the great assets of this campaign. just 18 months ago, on what some of you may recall was a cold and snowy april day, i asked you for your support in writing what i called a marathon for the highest honor that the american people can bestow on anyone. i said there would be good days and we had a lot of good days, didn't we? [cheers and applause] and i said there would be not so good days and we had a few of those two. and i talked about another

marathon that i ran in april 1951. i found myself struggling up a hill or to and people saying to me, looking good, duke. that is what you have done and i feel grateful. we had to those good and not so good days. we reached hard for the hill and overcame it. then we found the final strength to make that final kick. tonight, my heart is filled with gratitude to everyone who has made this extraordinary experience of our as possible from my friends and neighbors here in massachusetts to those 3000 people who were waiting for

us at 3:00 this morning in des moines, iowa. as i think back on this marathon, i will never forget the beauty of this magnificent man from those beautiful colonial villages in new hampshire to the farmland of iowa, the magnificence of yellowstone and the california coast. but most will, i will remember the people i have met, their strength, their values, their generosity and hospitality to me and tv and our family. it is very important that we continue to fight for them and for families all across america.

we have to fight for that young family in long island, new york. the one that wants to buy a home in the community they grew up in cannot afford it. we have to fight for that family in sioux city, iowa that can afford health insurance to pay the bills for its young son. we have to fight for those high school students in los angeles who are saying no to drugs and yes to their future. we have to open up that door of

college opportunity to every young person in this country. [cheers and applause] we have to fight to end the shame of homelessness in this country. we have to fight for those unemployed steelworkers in pennsylvania and youngstown, ohio who want to be able to have a good job and a good wage to support themselves and their families. and we have to fight for those families and met with in california whose children today are permanently crippled because toy happen to live tnext door one of the worst toxic waste

dumps in the united states of america. this campaign has not been just about me and lloyd bentsen. it has been about these families and the challenges they face every day of their lives. it has been about all this and the values and the ideals that we share. it is what we have been fighting for and that is what we must continue to work for every day and every week and every month of our lives. i will continue to work for these goals with you, with my fellow governors, with the democratic congress. i am proud to say that we not only will continue to have a democratic congress, but it

looks like a strengthened democratic senate. we will be working with the new administration and, above all, i will be working with the people of massachusetts. let me say thank you to many, many people in this country, those who gave us their support, those hundreds of thousands of volunteers who worked so hard and so long and so tirelessly. i want to thank the members of the world's oldest and greatest party, the democratic party, for all that they did. i want to thank this wonderful family of mine, kitty and john

and lisa and keys that -- and kitty's dad. let me simply conclude by saying this to all of you and to people like you all across the country, especially to those of you who are young people -- and there are many young people here. there is nothing you can do in this world more fulfilling and more satisfying than giving of yourself to others and making a contribution to your community and your state and your nation and your fellow citizens.

and one of the things i am proudest of in this campaign is the thousands and thousands of young people who were involved. want you to be discouraged. how want to -- i wanted to be encouraged by the things you have done in this campaign. i hope many of you will go into politics and public service. it is a noble profession, a noble profession. [chanting "'92!"] much has been given to the young people of this country, the opportunity to live and grow up

in the greatest nation on the face of this earth. and you have a responsibility to give something back. our hearts are full. we love you all. we love this country. and we will continue to fight with you and the american people so that every citizen of this country can be a full shareholder in the american dream. thank you all very much. thank you. thank you.

>> the associated press has an odd moment on election day with vice-president by been and mitt romney and paul ryan. 75% of the ticket for the top office and also with national -- he has done 26 rallies in ohio.

another view on the election, c- span has been looking and talking with political reporters on how they think tonight's results will go. >> i think some of the early house races could give us an indication whether it could be a better night for democrats or a very long night for democrats. this is one where we thought that chandler was continuing to have an advantage. polls show this one closing in the last couple weeks. now both sides believe that this

will be another very close race and one that could not be decided for a while, actually. if the democrats are losing the kind of seats that that more democrats furred chandler in redistricting, i think we will see it elsewhere. >> are there any other states are districts that you're watching? >> new york will provide a good baseline for how the rest of the country will go. our democrats lost several seats there in 2010. this time, democrats will pick up the seats again. also, chris gibson, he saw his

district get more democratic. he's still pulling ahead of his challengers. new york is home to as many sixers 7 competitive congressional elections that we're watching were both republicans and democrats are having to defend. democrats release of this as a coup. it has been a model for this messaging and the plan of attack they have used against republicans on the rise in budget and house races everywhere. she now represents the redistricting in the buffalo suburb and extending into rochester the most republican districts in the state. holding i think they're their close there. chris collins is no poly neck- and-neck with her. but this is a race that republicans should be winning by much more, but some people may

see that collins has some problems with republicans himself. >> is there anything that would surprise you coming out of election night? >> for us as analysts, the biggest question is whose polls will be right. we are not seeing a wave election. the next few days will be interesting cycle. typically, these closing days, we would be holding racist to one party or the other. but candidates and campaigns really matter. if democrats are not picking up the seats they need to in new york, illinois is another place where they had redistricting at their back. but there are six seats were they are fighting tooth and nail. again, even with bob dole there and the northshore district, this is a district that obama won by 26%. so if the democrats are not

moving the game they need to, we could see minimal democratic gains. what could be surprising on election night, even if republicans gain seats after receiving 36 seats in the last election cycle. >> we will have coverage of president obama in chicago, mitt romney in boston, with victory in concession speeches with the candidates and we will look at some of the competitive seats as well. live coverage begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span, c-span radio and c- span.org. and on c-span.org, additional coverage including live streaming of the obama and romney headquarters as well as interactive maps online and much more, too, all of that at c- span.org. >> the more i watch c-span, i

watch the morning journal. i like the give-and-take of there. i like the balance to their approach. i also like to hear the calls. some of them are unusual, to say the least. c-span is everywhere. in every event, small hearings, public policy meetings downtown, c-span just seems to be there. >> steve austin watches c-span on verizon. c-span, brought to as a public service by your television provider. >> no a look at where the candidates are. president obama in chicago. this evening's victory or concession speech will come from the mccormick place convention center. mitt romney is on the road today before him back to massachusetts. we noticed a short while ago he was in cleveland. he will have a short stop in

pittsburgh before heading to boston for tonight's headquarters beach. we will have all that live beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. we will be watching the results. we spoke this morning on "washington journal" with a reporter who is covering the electoral college. host: a lot of talk about electoral map. what if there's a tie? guest: there are a few scenarios, but highly unlikely. we certainly cannot foreclose the possibility of that happening in an election like this one. the constitution holds for an electoral process in which the electors, the people we are actually voting for today, instead of the candidates, to meet in the state capital.

they cast votes for president and vice president of united states. if that boats comes out to be done -- if those votes come up to be0269-269-, of -- to be 269-269, the constitution says that the next president will be chosen by the house of representatives. the house would select the president and the senate winslet the vice-president. under the constitution, each house delegation gets one vote. so you have 50 votes and you need a majority to win. the republicans would have the baggage because they currently hold a majority of the state delegations are now, 33 to be exact. even if the republicans suffer some losses in today's election, they still have the majority of

delegations certainly. host: so there is a possibility that you could have a president of mitt romney and a vice- president joe biden perhaps. guest: the constitution hold for the senate to select the vice president, which is -- which it has done only once in its history. so there is that possibility of a romney-biting the administration. -- romney-biden administration. but i doubt that would happen. host: you said that voters vote for electors. expand on that. guest: when voters go to the ballots today, the names of the presidential candidates will be in big print. but in the small print, you will see electors for barack obama and electors for mitt romney. and voters are not typically the

before the candidates so much as for these electors. it is a compromise between popular election of the president, which they were against and congress selecting the president. so they established the system of the electors, learned people who would exercise their judgment and pick the presidential candidates. today, it is pretty automatic. the electors are usually with the state. host: talking about electoral math scenarios. if you have questions for him about the process when it comes to electors and other things, here is your chance to ask questions.

if you want to send us a tweet on this, -- what states should we be looking at? guest: you can come up with a tie combination by looking at these maps online. you can look at the battleground states in play if you push a 3 view toward romney and if you toward obama. there are a few scenarios in which a tie it is at least feasible. host: if i am an elector, and my lobby? and my pressured? what is my goal and what the rules concerning me as an elector?

guest: there are about six weeks to seven weeks between when the election is held and the electors meet. who knows? they could be levied. there it -- they could be lobbied. the electors may be susceptible to pressure, even bribery. in the late 1960's, richard nixon, when he was elected president, he won 103 electoral votes, not so far from the 270 needed for a majority. the electors had selected george wallace. there is concern that those electors would be susceptible to pressure. and there was a move to get rid

of the electoral college and go to a popular vote. it did not get passed the senate. if there was a tie, i'm sure you'd have some lobbying of the selectors to change their vote. in some states, but not all states, there are laws that require or at least push the electors to vote for the presidential candidates for whom they originally supported. but it is not really clear whether those laws are constitutional. host: what if they become split as far as the electors are concerned? guest: suppose maryland, a safely democratic state, votes for barack obama. in voting for barack obama, those voters are selecting a slate of directors pledged to barack obama. so there would not be any split when they actually meet in the state capital.

host: dan on the independent line. caller: i will be voting today, but i think i will be voting the way i have never voted in the past. that is with no confidence. it is no confidence in our national presidential elections. and i will tell you why. over the last three cycles, we have turned from a country that kind of paid attention to our exit poll data and, through the elections, it would be released and they would always scientifically used -- you could determine the winner. we use exit polls and other countries to make sure that they are holding good and non-frontal elections. and now we have turned this into a system where these paid exit

polls are not released to the public until after the official count is in. and then the massage the data to have it match the official results. i use statistics, science, mathematics to help me in my life and guide my decisions. now we have compromised our entire voting system because, statistically, scientifically, 2000, 2004, and even in 2008, these results are impossible based on the actual exit poll data. guest: the release -- the kampf consortium release them, but i don't think you want them released before the exit polls

actually closed. it gives us a feeling of what the electorate looks like and what changes in the electric. host: there is a map that shows the states and how many electoral votes they get. guest: california has 53 u.s. house members. you have 435 members of the house, 100 members of the senate. that gets you to 535. the way you get to five and a 38 come under the 23rd amendment, the district of columbia is automatically granted electoral votes. caller: in past years, especially with what happened with george bush and al gore and how that went back and forth,

are they planning to make changes to this extensive monitoring? and why change from the traditional view of the electoral college to a more back-and-forth thing? i have seen this whole election thing go for 17 months and i have to say that i used to be democrat and i have been so disgusted. when i went to register to vote, i voted republican. i have a lot of concerns and reservations because i have seen a lot of things change in how things operate and how politicians operate. and i am just very, very concerned. that is why, this morning, i got up bright and early to go vote. guest: the electoral college has

not rallied the masses so much in recent issues that deals with the political process. even though we had the 2000 election in which a george w. one -- church of the bush won, that election -- george w. bush won, that election came down to what happened in florida. there was not a whole lot of discussion about scrapping the electoral college. there may have been some. it is the fourth time in history that the popular vote winner did not match the electoral college majority. it is behind the scenes. it is a complex system and it is an issue political process. host: in our next segment, we will look at florida 2000, what we learned then and what we now know as far as electoral votes

are concerned. joining us now is charles welles. we will talk with him in our next segment. when it comes to the timing of the electors -- guest: these are the rare cases the navy so-called faithfully lectors, which are electors were pledged to select, abstain or cast a protest of the four other candidates or just withhold the vote.

as you mentioned, in 2000, an electorate in the district of columbia for al gore withheld their votes for al gore, so the technical total was 271- pack266, -- 271-266. they are selected by their state conventions. it is basically a political party function. guesthost: if you want to ask us questions, the wonder open. right now, the president stands for 237 likely electoral votes

-- what states stand out for you? guest: i think virginia stands out because it is one of the swing states that run close to the national total. when you threw in the fact that virginia has an early poll closing time, we will be looking at that closely. some other states with some early poll closing times, i think new hampshire, a tiny state, but four electoral votes matter. host: a tally of 5 per candidate --

guest: i did not know that. that is very interesting. it is a symbolic statement that the first hole to close in the nation would produce a tie. host: when it comes to the type question, from the electors, this is -- guest: it would really be quite a string of events that would stick to that place. first of all, what would happen is the candidate who is on the losing end of the popular vote, there would be some pressure for that candidate concede the election. but the votes still have to be cast. still have to go through the constitutional process and those votes have to be cast on

december 17 and open in a joint session of congress on generous 6. host: -- on generous 6. host: our next caller. caller: i am interested in states like maine who can select their electoral vote if the election is that close is really important. host: that is a grade point by the collar. in some states, there is the winner-take-all case. the two states that are the exceptions are meaain ande alas, -- maine and alaska. what have been in the 2008 presidential election was president obama 1 nebraska's second congressional district in and around omaha which allowed

him one of the votes from alaska by congressional district. but those are the two states that award some of their electoral votes by congressional districts. some states have kicked around the idea of taking the system. i think republicans would really like that system in california because it is a strongly democratic state. they could win maybe 20 or so we electoral votes if they switched to that system. and democrats who reside in strongly republican states like texas would probably like a system like that. host: vice president joe biden has cast his vote saying, the " its always a kick." alabama, independent line.

good morning. caller: does not the electoral college, the genesis of it, have to do with maintaining slavery and cheap labor were by white men, women and black slaves were not allowed to vote and certain states did not have the representation they needed. so it compromise was made whereby black slaves in the populations in the south were counted at 3/5 of the population in order to inflate southern representation in congress? guest: he is right that it was according to the fact that it was a compromise fashioned by the founders in a much different era. the founders did not envision political parties. they did not want the popular vote to re-elect the president.

so they came up with a compromise between the popular vote election of the president and having, say, the congress and the governors to let the president. they wanted some balance in the separation powers. host: our democrats line. caller: i do not believe in the electoral college because i think it is unfair. al gore really won the presidency. and the court give it to bush that year. and there has been so much dishonesty in this election. it boggles the mind how the newspapers did not cover the lies that were being told. this is the most shameful election that i have witnessed. and i am 76 years old. and i think this is just disgraceful to the american free level of -- free liberal system

of voting. small countries have a more honest voting election than we do. romney has lied and the media has up held his allies during this election because of racism. -- his allies during the selection because of racism. -- his lies during this election because of racism. thank you. host: next caller. caller: i was just wondering if he could give us a real simple argument on why we keep the electoral college. why couldn't we just go to popular vote? if this gets down to the electoral this time, it will be the same thing as 2000 when the supreme court handed it to bush. i don't think that our senators should be picking the president

if it gets down to this. i think the people of the united states should pick the president. guest: some of the arguments in favor of the electoral college stressed by the proponents include that it promotes stability and the two-party system. if we switched to a national popular vote system, it would be more prone to factionalism for vote fraud. under the electoral college, it requires you to acquire a broad swath of the electorate, a mix of large states and small states. the reason why the electoral college has not been scrapped over the years is that small states have more power in the electoral college because each state's electoral the delegation to senators and they hold just as many senators as

the larger states. it is really difficult to amend the constitution. it would take a constitutional amendment to scrap the system that is enshrined in the constitution. host: just your thoughts on this column. guest: i think those statements lay out an argument for scrapping the electoral college in that every person's vote should matter the same. of course, every person has the same power and has one vote. but it is no surprise in this election that some states are getting a lot more attention

than others. president barack obama and republican mitt romney are focusing an overwhelming majority of their time in just nine or 10 states. host: this is texas on our independent line. caller: i would like to make a statement that i think most people in the united states would agree with or do agree with. i do think that the electoral college needs to be done away with and the popular vote should be what determines our elected officials. it makes us feel like that, at the end of an election, when the people who want to cast one more vote for one candidate over the other, that means almost 50% or right at 50% of the people's vote does not count. it does not count the way they wanted to count. let's put it that way.

i think people are tired of it. i know i am tired of it. i think that most of our elections would turn out 100% different if it was done away with and done right. and that is basically what i have to say. guest: it is a complex system set up by the founders. switching to a national vote, a popular vote for selecting the presidency would be a lot simpler. the senate has not voted on scrapping the electoral college in over 30 years. it would probably take something like a close race to bring about a vote in the house and the senate, a vigorous debate nationwide. it is just not an issue that rallies a lot of people and a

lot of senators and members of congress to schedule a vote on something like that. host: has there ever been a close election that has had dire elections like 2000? you can join us for that conversation at 9:15 a.m. we're looking at election map strategies and what is going on with the electoral college and the select doors involved in the process -- and the electors involved in that process. caller: i have a difficult question. what if there is theoretically a tie? ohio does not necessarily accept -- basically, what i am trying to say, if ohio is so close, which they are predicting, and there is no elected or selected come -- no

elector selected, who wins? guest: that is a very good question. and there's another piece of the puzzle. what happens when voters actually vote today and december 17 when the electors meet in the selected state capitals? there's also a requirement that, six days before they meet, that is the deadline for the states to resolve any issues with their electors. after today, we will have the vote count and states with a very close vote count, you resolve any recounts. they are supposed to have any collector this before any vote disputes in the state resolved by december 11, six days before the electors are supposed to meet.

host: republican line. caller: i would like to say that what is the amount of electoral votes the kentucky has? guest: it has eight electoral votes. it has six members in the u.s. house of representatives and two u.s. senators. so your allocation is eight. host: do you have a follow-up? caller: since obama has been in office, they have not issued no permits to mine coal in kentucky. all the coal mines are shutdown. there ain't nothing left in kentucky hardly appea. where i am come it is like a hole on the ground, manchester, ky. this election is a joke.

as far as i am concerned, i will not vote for either one of them. they ain't nothing but a bunch of liars. host: illinois has 20 electoral votes. we go to bowling brook, illinois, democrats line. caller: i would just like to say the electoral college, i don't know a lot about it -- i know there are supposed to be so many senators or representatives from each state and i guess that is how they vote for the electoral votes, but it seems like the republicans have so many red on the map. there is not a lot of blue for the democrats and not a lot of white for the independence. that tells me that the electoral

votes would go more for the republicans. i really don't know about it, but the popular the should be the one -- but the popular vote should be the one we are considering at not the electoral the time. if the republicans control the senate and the house for -- house of representatives, how can the democrats win anyway? this would give them a fair shake. that is my thing. i think this president has been shriveling in this office because of the republicans -- has been struggling in this office because the republicans have not been working with him. we still have the race line. that is something they didn't talk about. mitt romney talked about how he will help the poor people. we talk about the middle class. what about the folks in the lower class? we don't have in the class. it is a lower class. guest: one reason why you see

all of the rd on the map denoting republicans is because republicans tend to do much better than democrats in a lot of the expansive stage, the rule states, where democratic states are concentrated in the metropolitan areas and larger population states for the most part. california will be democratic blue with 55 electoral votes. new york, illinois -- so both sides, barack obama and mitt romney start out with a decent chunk of electoral votes that appear to be safely in their favor. host: talk about the connection between the fight for the electoral votes and lawyers on both sides getting ready to defend that. guest: it is something that we see about every four years at this time, even weeks before the election.

lawyers in a lot of the key battleground states are ready to file motions and do other legal preparations to ensure that the vote is cast fairly from their point of view. host: and their hired by the campaigns? guest: the campaigns have their lawyers, the state parties have theirs as well. it will be a real team effort. there will be plenty of support staff to watch for anything. host: here is cleveland, ohio. caller: my question is what would be a reason why an elector would not vote based on the popular vote? it is mind standing that the electoral vote is based on the popular vote.

guest: we really don't vote in a nationwide election, so to speak. we have a set of 50 state elections. if you -- let's say a democrat wins california by a large majority and a republican wins a collection of state by a very small majority, it is possible that the democrat could have a large cumulative the where the republican would have more electoral votes. it is pretty rare to see a split between the national popular vote and the electoral college. it happened in 18 city 6 and 1888 and again in 2000. so it is rare, but possible. so it is rare, but possible.